Wikipedia’s Modern Definition of social entrepreneurship:“There are continuing arguments over precisely who counts as a social entrepreneur. Thus far, there has been no consensus on the definition of social entrepreneurship, so many different sorts of fields and disciplines are associated with social entrepreneurship.”

To add the lack of consensus, I share my definition of social entrepreneurship, greatly shaped by my experiences thus far in Detroit. Green Garage, an incredibly green coworking space, hosts community lunches every friday in which anyone in the community is invited to discuss business, sustainability practices, new projects and ventures, opportunities, and challenges. This week the topic was the “Spirit of Detroit” and whatever that means to you. The mayor, Mike Duggan, heard about these community lunches and graced us with his presence this week. Mr. Mayor and the community members all agreed- part of the “Spirit of Detroit” is resiliency.

I think it is this resiliency that has anchored social innovation and entrepreneurship in Detroit. Innovative ideas and entrepreneurs are everywhere, and technology has only made it easier for more people to innovate and become entrepreneurs. But having a good idea. To become a social entrepreneur you need resiliency- which is built with passion, perseverance, and sense of social responsibility. Social innovation is an idea that could solve a problem, but social responsibility is the sense of duty that an entrepreneur should solve that problem. Kid Rock noted Detroit’s overflowing power of social responsibility, “I see the people in Detroit are very - they're like a lot of cities, but they're very proud to be from there and they really want to see change and they really want to see good things happen.” Good things only happen when you make them happen.

View of downtown from the Detroit River

BUILD grad and community lunch participant Darryl Davis started a theatre company as a way to spark new discussions and bring people together in Detroit. Similar to BUILD itself, Darryl emphasizes and intentional inclusivity into his business model and plans to use his company as an incubator for theatre artists while also uniting people across ethnic and neighborhood boundaries. In Detroit, a city of pockets and small unique neighborhoods, it would be easy to see building the entire community together and having those difficult conversations as a task too insurmountable. Darryl is also a good example of social entrepreneurship because he knows it requires a community- a community like the Friday lunch goers at Green Garage, a community of BUILD alumni to lean on, a community in the theatre arts, and the entire Detroit community.

Social entrepreneurship and civic engagement compliment each other. Mayor Duggan spoke to community members at Green Garage about creating an environment in Detroit where businesses and entrepreneurs could thrive. It wasn't his job to choose the business sector or entrepreneurs with the right solutions ("pick the winners" as its called in public finance). But rather, it is the city's job to create the community in which entrepreneurs can create the best solutions possible. Social entrepreneurs are changing the game of policy making and the way our communities operate.

"There are things we need you to do"- Deputy Mayor McKinnon at the Southwest Detroit Business Association breakfast